02/18/2010

Think the perfect brows are out of reach? You can probably get really damn close with the Perfect Brows kit from Chanel. Granted, if you're really blessed-of-hair, you may need a professional to help you get started with the right shape, but this kit may be the best way to keep them perfect from day-to-day.

Look for Coco Rouge lipsticks this Spring.

YUM.

Vanessa Paradis is the face of Coco Rouge

12/10/2009

I was a bit tired of the whole light and bright nail thing, so
despite it being hot and Summery, I busted out the dark blue nails. I
absolutely love the depth of the aptly named Zoya Indigo. It's just about as dark as blue can go without looking black. This is one of my favorite shades.

Once
I got it on, though, I realized it would probably look even more
stunning with just a smidge more shimmer (it already has "multi-colored
micro glitter"). I added a coat of ChanelAzur (LE), a very sheer polish with tiny blue shimmer. It actually lightened up Indigo just a smidge while adding a fab but subtle sparkle. VOILA! Just what I was craving!

I'm calling it "Starry Night" because it reminds me of the gorgeous Summer night skies I love!

Take a look:

Now, the only problem is that I find Zoya
lacquers to be very chippy. What's with that!? Their site says they're
"the longest wearing nail polishes available for natural nails." I have
natural nails. Natural nails coated with chipped polish. Got
suggestions for me? Please share, 'cause I always love Zoya's colors (I own a bunch), but am reluctant to buy more of them because of this chipping thing. :(

These products were purchased by the author

09/28/2009

Today, I'm wondering what makes something "backup-worthy"? So many cosmetics are limited edition, and so when many of us fall in love with something that will only be around for awhile, we buy backups. In fact, some of us get jumpy even about non-LE items. Get burned once with your favorite lipstick and you're twitchy forever! I'm just wondering what YOU consider "backup-worthy"?

Remember Seinfeld's "Sponge-worthy"?!

ELAINE: Well, Kramer was right. My friend Kim told me the sponge is off
the market.

JERRY: So what are you gonna do?

ELAINE: I'll tell you what I'm gonna do - I'm gonna do a hard-target
search. Of every drug store, general store, health store and grocery store
in a 25-block radius.

Later...

PHARMACIST: Actually, we have a case left.

ELAINE (excited): A case! A case of sponges? I mean, uh...a case. Huh. Uh...how many come in a case?

PHARMACIST: Sixty.
ELAINE: Sixty?! Uh...well, I'll take three.

PHARMACIST: Three.
ELAINE: Make it ten.

PHARMACIST: Ten?

ELAINE: Twenty sponges should be plenty.

PHARMACIST: Did you say twenty?

ELAINE: Yeah, twenty-five sponges is just fine.

PHARMACIST: Right. So, you're set with twenty-five.

ELAINE: Yeah. Just give me the whole case and I'll be on my way.

Then...

ELAINE: ...I just couldn't decide if he was really
sponge-worthy.

JERRY: Sponge-worthy?

ELAINE: Yeah, Jerry, I have to conserve these sponges.

JERRY: But you like this guy, isn't that what the sponges are for?

ELAINE: Yes, yes - before they went off the market. I mean, now I've
got to re-evaluate my whole screening process. I can't afford to waste
any of 'em.

Have you ever conducted a hard-target search? If so, for what? Let me know in the comments, 'cause I'm dead-curious!

I know I have conducted a hard-target search, and am about to embark on another. My first all-out search for something amazing was intense. It even consisted of me calling Chanel corporate and asking them to find all of the left-over versions of this product they could. They found exactly zero. I ended up buying a ton (I forget how many, actually -I think it was 7 or 8) on eBay! What was the product? Chanel's Ultra-wear Lipstick in a shade called in Amethyst, and naturally it was limited edition and of course I discovered it after it was sold-out everywhere. I first came across it at the Chanel counter at my Nordstrom, and the tester was out on accident (they'd already sold all of them). I loved the color so much the sweet associate dug through a drawer and found an unopened tester and gave it to me! After wearing it for two days, I decided I needed to find every single Amethyst I could!

Why was that so backup worthy I'd go to these lengths? At the time, I was fairly new to wearing "dark" lipsticks. Note: this is not a dark shade, but if you're used to wearing nudes, like I was back then, this seemed as dramatic as a full-on red or the trendiest black! Anyway, it's a gorgeous purple-tinged pink.I guess you could consider it a pale berry or a deep mauve. Whatever way you look at it, the color is perfect! And the wear on the Chanel Ultra-wears is phenomenal. Or WAS. I just looked at the Chanel website and it seems they don't make it anymore. I am completely saddened...

... a moment of silence for the dearly departed ChanelUltra-Wear Lipcolor, especially in Amethyst...

Ahem.

I mentioned I am about to embark upon another hard-target search. For what? MAC's Naked Honey Salve. OMG, am I addicted to it's super-yummy honeysuckle scent and it's ooey-gooey hydrating goodness. If you have any, I'll give you my address and you can send it to me!

06/21/2009

The "it" color for Fall is green - on eyes and on nails. It's one of the few unorthodox nail colors we haven't explored lately - last fall it was shades of grey ranging from dove to putty to nearly-taupe. If it wasn't grey, it was greyed-out and dusky. The year before, blue was the edgy shade. But now... it's completely easy being green!

It marched down the Fall '09 runways, and nail fanatics who spotted it haven't stopped dreaming of it since...

Next, we have a non-new release by Illamasqua, a brand that has just come to America via the interwebs. I got my hands on MILF (thank you, Alex!) and here's a sneak peek. It looks like it could be a dupe-ish match to Chanel's shade. I love it. I may never take it off. Review on its way!

By the way, I can't wait 'til my nails get a tad longer so I can do one of the great retro-nouveau manis shown on their site and pretend I'm a sexy Illamasqua diva!

Polish addict fave Nubar has just released their new collection, Going Green. It's STUNNING. I can't wait to dig my nails into it. (bad joke, I know)

Big-3 Free, so it's good for you!

You can buy the whole set, or get just the ones that catch your fancy.Not that I can choose just a few!

06/19/2009

I was a bit tired of the whole light and bright nail thing, so despite it being hot and Summery, I busted out the dark blue nails. I absolutely love the depth of the aptly named Zoya Indigo. It's just about as dark as blue can go without looking black. This is one of my favorite shades.

Once I got it on, though, I realized it would probably look even more stunning with just a smidge more shimmer (it already has "multi-colored micro glitter"). I added a coat of ChanelAzur (LE), a very sheer polish with tiny blue shimmer. It actually lightened up Indigo just a smidge while adding a fab but subtle sparkle. VOILA! Just what I was craving!

I'm calling it "Starry Night" because it reminds me of the gorgeous Summer night skies I love!

Take a look:

Now, the only problem is that I find Zoya lacquers to be very chippy. What's with that!? Their site says they're "the longest wearing nail polishes available for natural nails." I have natural nails. Natural nails coated with chipped polish. Got suggestions for me? Please share, 'cause I always love Zoya's colors (I own a bunch), but am reluctant to buy more of them because of this chipping thing. :(

Despite a temporary "mystery collection" speed bump, we don't want you to get blue. Well, maybe we do! Essie goes a little crazy with their new Summer collection, North Fork. Take a look at Scrangie's find, and read the post for more info!

All Lacquered Up shares a sneak peek at another great China Glaze collection. (Can that company put out a dud? Hopefully: never) Introducing: Spring / Summer's Kicks! Visit to learn more.

That's it for nails today. Got anything else for us?

Any of these catch the eye? Are you too busy yawning to care? Share with the class!

Naturally, being a China Glaze junkie, I want to get my hands on Kicks! I can't wait to see that purple-y pink one, and the lighter blue. Essie has shocked me with the blues, and I'll peep those but I'm not that into blues - I just want to see 'em and prove to myself they're real! And you know I love orange, so I'll scope out the Chanel Orange Fizz, but it looks a little pale to interest me. Ya never know, though!

02/25/2009

I got a head's up on this collection from Allure's blog: Beauty Reporter, and I'm glad I saw it. Take a look at three LE lipsticks and 3 LE nail lacquers (!) from Chanel.

Coco Chanel loved her some black, and this collection pays tribute to her favorite color. The collection is called Les Noirs de Chanel, and as the name suggests the products are all shades of black.

For lips, we have Obscure which is brown-black (think dark chocolate), Maniac which is red-black, and Hysteria which is violet-black. For nails we can rock darkness in Rouge Noir, red-black); Vendetta, violet-black; or Madness, chocolate-black.

04/23/2008

I only tag a few products as Obsessions (usually they are from Black Phoenix Alchemy Labs!). I've got a new one that falls into this category now, and I'm about to tell you about it. But first, did you find the subject line compelling? I mean, how many die-hard MAC girls walk away from Lipglass? I never thought I would - I tried ChanelGlossimers, and found them too weakly pigmented. I tried Bobbi Brown lipgloss, but thought the color selection was too poor. I even tried "the other artist line", Make Up For Ever, and returned the glosses to Sephora because they were so pale and transient (disappeared WAY to quickly!). So what could make me ignore my beloved Lipglasses for the last few weeks!?

An SPF 15, which is great year round, but especially nice with warm weather coming

Long-lasting shine

Lots of choices when it comes to colors (there's one for every outfit!)

Soft lips

The deal is this: special film-formers make a seal that holds this sucker on your lips for longer than any gloss I've seen - and it doesn't feel so tacky that dust is sticking on it as you walk through a room! In fact, it's very comfortable to wear.

Clinique says this gloss can wear up to 8 hours, a boastful promise that may not be too far off. I'm pretty good about not chewing off my lip products (working at MAC will teach you that, 'cause you have to look great but are too busy to touch up!) and unless I'm eating or drinking I can get almost 8 hours out of this gloss. A Starbucks will shorten that time, though, but I don't mind reapplying this gloss. Certainly, I do so less than any other gloss I've ever tried.

I mentioned that these are comfortable - in fact, they're so nice on the lips that I haven't had to worry about dry lips since I started wearing them. Lips will be improved immediately and conditioned over time; the special moisturizing formula makes this one of the most moisturizing lip glosses on the market. And in my experience, the ones that are "hydrating" don't usually last for terribly long.

Since these are from Clinique, they are 100% fragrance free and allergy tested.

[Editor's Note: I'm not kidding- I have exclusively used these glosses for the last 2 weeks, and even went to pick up a few new shades over the weekend. Honestly, it shocks the crap out of me to admit that I haven't touched my lipglasses or even lipsticks in so long! I own: Whisper, Rock Violet, Kissyfit, and have Fireberry+ a backup. Yes: a backup of a non-MAC product. Who am I!? ]

The colors are, from left to right, Fireberry, Rock Violet, Whisper, and Kissyfit. The kind of crappy swatch is of Fireberry. Below, my assistant helps me take pictures...

03/19/2008

Imagine this scene: a chic woman grabs her camera and zoom lens, packs
a bag and takes off to Africa for a spur of the moment photo-safari. While she's there, she sees amazing sunrises, long stretches of savannah grasses, gorgeous scenes of bronze and gold - all the while dressed in her utilitarian but somehow sexy and amazing khaki outfits (and mosquito netting!). After she returns home, her photos are spotted by an agent who quickly comes up with a show. What does this artist/fashion plate wear to the opening? Why, Chanel makeup inspired by the colors of her trip, of course!

SOLEIL TAN DE CHANEL Moisturizing Bronzing Powder comes in 5 shades that will get everyone their bronziest ('cause of course you wore SPF on that trip, right!?).

03/11/2008

Oh, how I do adore Chanel. I'm pleased to let you know that there's a new amazing skincare product coming from Chanel...

Chanel slips on the gloves for SUBLIMAGE SÉRUM Essential Regenerating Concentrate, a silky and lovely serum that will go head-to-head with wrinkles, lack of firmness, dehydration, dull skin, and uneven pigmentation.

SUBLIMAGE SÉRUM uses the same Polyfractioning technique as is found in the original SUBLIMAGE to purify the Planifolia oil that makes these products so special. The bonus is this: in the serum, the Plainfolia PFA is actually suspended in Planfolia water which gives double the punch of the original cream.

According to the company, SUBLIMAGE SÉRUM is an excellent prep for makeup, too, so it's completely aces in my book! Angela
Levin, Chanel's celeb makeup artist, uses it on stars like Nicole Kidman. “I always start the makeup process with an application of
the Sublimage Serum. I feel it helps to create a smooth, silky and young
overall look after I use the base. I usually wait about five minutes and
let the serum saturate into the skin, before applying foundation."